


Who's the Best?

by Daisy_Rivers



Category: Hamilton - Miranda (Broadway Cast) RPF
Genre: Blindspotting premier, F/M, Sundance Film Festival
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-29 19:05:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,896
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13933362
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daisy_Rivers/pseuds/Daisy_Rivers
Summary: You accompany your stylist cousin to the Sundance Film Festival in Utah where you get to meet the cast of Blindspotting





	Who's the Best?

**Author's Note:**

> This one is for the very, very, very, very patient @wreakhavoconmacroissantdiggs over on tumblr  
> We agree that Daveed's got really great hair.
> 
> This story occurs in a totally imaginary alternate universe, so none of this ever happened to these real-life people in the universe we live in.  
> The part about the pit bull named Jasmine is true, though.

Mandy is your coolest cousin by far, probably your coolest relative. Maybe the coolest relative anybody has ever had. Mandy is the daughter of your mother’s free-spirited sister Karen, who left home at the age of eighteen to explore the world on her own, and only made it back once or twice a year. When you were a kid, you loved visits from Aunt Karen, who would bring you presents like a rock from a beach in Greece or a leather hairband from Morocco. Mandy, who’s two years older than you, would be dressed in whatever Aunt Karen had on hand, usually something with lots of bright colors. Her hair, which is just as curly as yours, might be standing out in a halo all around her head, or in cornrows, or a ponytail. Once, to your grandmother’s horror, it had been cut to about an inch long over her whole head. Another time, it had been colored with henna, even though Mandy was only ten.

When you were in fourth grade, you asked your mom who Mandy’s dad was. Your parents looked at each other for a minute, and then your mom said something like, “Somebody who used to be Aunt Karen’s boyfriend, but they broke up.”

Your father choked on his coffee and had to leave the room.

Somehow, Mandy got some education. She could read as well as anybody else, and she could do math in her head. When she was eighteen, she graduated from something somewhere (“I think they’re in Belgium now,” your mom said) and went on to study hairstyling and make-up. She loved it, and, from what you heard, she was very good at it.

Then Aunt Karen fell in love. Your mom got a phone call from Aunt Karen who babbled deliriously about finding her soul mate, her one true love, and how they were getting married on Saturday and going to settle down on a farm in Scotland, and she was hoping she’d be able to get pregnant easily, because Robert (the soul mate) wanted a family.

Your mom had put the phone on speaker so you could all hear what was going on. Your father went to the cupboard and poured himself a shot of Jack Daniels.

When your mom could finally get a word in edgewise, she asked, “Is Mandy going to live on the farm in Scotland too?”

Aunt Karen actually got silent for a minute. Then she said, “Well, you know, Mandy’s all grown up now. I don’t think she’d like living on a farm.”

“She’s nineteen, Karen, not thirty-five.”

Another silence. “Actually,” Aunt Karen went on brightly, “I thought maybe she could come live with you for a while. You’ve got plenty of room, and the girls get along so well.”

Your father poured himself another shot of Jack Daniels.

*          *          *          *          *

That’s how Mandy came to live with your family. It worked out fine, really. She got a job right away in a local salon, saved her money and bought a used car. Then she got a better job in a bigger salon around the time you started college to study journalism. While you were away at college, she changed jobs a couple more times, eventually ending up in Chicago for a while. Some of the Chicago theater people started asking for her at the salon where she was working, and then somebody recommended her to do stage make-up for a production of _Les Mis_ , and that was the start of her career in stage make-up and hair styling.

Now, here you were, more than ten years after she’d come to live with you and your parents. You were writing news copy at a local TV station and Mandy was the assistant make-up artist for a national tour of _Aladdin_. The tour was in Salt Lake City for two weeks, and then Mandy had a week off before going on to San Diego. She had asked you to come stay with her for a few days. “We can go skiing!” she said.

“Skiing?” you ask when she calls. “Mandy, you know I’ve never been on skis, right?”

“We’ll start you on the beginners’ slope,” she assures you. “Come on, you’ll love it.”

You wangle a week off from work and book the trip, praying you don’t return with both legs in casts. Mandy has never understood your reluctance to dive head-first into new experiences.

She meets you at the airport in her Mini, which now has a new ski rack on the roof. “Y/N!” she yells, waving frantically from the car window. It’s not like you wouldn’t have seen her. The Mini is bright turquoise, and Mandy’s mop of ultra-curly hair, which was platinum blond the last time you saw her, is a dramatic rose pink.

You throw your bag in the back and slide into the passenger seat. “Hey, cuz,” you say, and Mandy gives you a one-armed hug while merging into the airport traffic. You are always happy to see her, but sometimes you forget between visits how different the two of you are. After a childhood spent traveling the world with her mother, Mandy adjusts easily to new situations and makes friends quickly. You’re much more cautious and sometimes shy around people you don’t know. You’re not surprised when Mandy starts chatting about her friends on the tour, people she’s only known a few weeks, but is already close to.

“I wish you could meet Maya,” she says. “We room together on the tour, but I took my vacation this week, and she went on to San Diego, so maybe you’ll meet her another time. Oh, you’ll be in her room in the apartment. We get these furnished apartments, so I’ll be moving out at the end of the week too.”

“It sounds like so much fun,” you say, “getting to see all these different cities.”

“Well, it is fun,” Mandy concedes, “but it’s also crazy having to move every month or so. I’ve learned to travel light.”

The apartment is nice, not luxurious, but modern and attractive. There’s a small kitchen with an eating area, a comfortable living room, two bedrooms and a bath, all decorated in shades of beige and brown. You’re not surprised that Mandy has added a few brightly colored accent pillows and a purple plush throw.

“Do you want to go out to dinner or order in?” Mandy asks. She can speak four languages, but she can’t cook anything more complicated than scrambled eggs.

“Maybe go out? See a little bit of the city?”

“There’s a good Italian place right around the corner,” she tells you. “We can walk.”

It’s cold, but you have a warm coat and gloves, and in a short time, you’re seated at a table in Mio Zio, looking at the menu. The waiter seems to know Mandy.

 _“Ciao, bella,”_ he greets her with a warm smile.

 _“Ciao, Vincenzo,”_ she responds, gesturing toward you, _“è mia cugina Y/N.”_

 _“Parla italiano come te?_ _”_

_“No, solo inglese.”_

Vincenzo turns to you. “Then I will say in English, I am pleased to meet you. The cousin of the Signorina Mandy is very welcome.”

You smile, but don’t have time to say anything.

“What’s good tonight, Cenzo?” Mandy inquires, looking over the menu.

“Paolo has made your favorite manicotti. It is one of the specials.”

“Manicotti okay with you?” Mandy asks you.

“Sure,” you reply, trying to remember exactly what manicotti is.

Mandy says one more thing to Vincenzo in Italian, and he goes off to the kitchen.

You turn to your cousin. “Since when do you speak Italian?”

“Oh, I don’t really speak it,” she says, “only a few words, and my grammar is terrible. I can just about manage to order a meal.”

“More than I can do,” you point out.

“Well, you know, Mom and I lived in a lot of different places …” Her voice trails off.

“How is Aunt Karen? And Robert?”

Mandy rolls her eyes. “Fine. Still on the farm.”

“And the kids?” Aunt Karen had had no difficulty getting pregnant. Five times.

Another eye roll. Mandy counts them off on her fingers. “Sparrow is studying ballet. Cloud is taking voice lessons. Petal and Rain like to color, and Baby Birch took a step by himself.”

You try not to giggle at your cousins’ names, but as soon as you look at Mandy, both of you start laughing. “I know, right?” she says. “I thank God every day that she didn’t name me Sunbeam or something. Fortunately the nature obsession started with Robert.”

“Have you seen them lately?”

She shakes her head. “Actually, I’ve never seen Birch except on FaceTime, and I haven’t seen Petal and Rain since they were babies. It’s okay, though. Mom is happy where she is, and I would have lost my mind living on a sheep farm.”

Vincenzo arrives with a bottle of wine, and then a waitress brings your salad, and you begin enjoying the dinner. You’re just about to start on your manicotti when Mandy’s phone rings. She looks at the screen and raises her eyebrows. “Hang on, I have to take this,” she tells you, then says, “Hey, Janina, what’s up?” into the phone.

You do your best to just continue eating your dinner, but Mandy is clearly getting some alarming news. “What?” she asks. “No! Oh, that’s terrible … oh, my God … oh, no … how is she? Well, what are you going to do?” There’s a long pause as though Janina, whoever she is, is giving an explanation. “Oh, I don’t know,” Mandy says. “I mean, I guess, but …” She looks at you guiltily. “My cousin is here for a week, so she’ll have to come with me. Yeah, yeah, she’ll be fine with it. It’ll be fun for her, right?” There are a few more exchanges, and then Mandy hangs up.

“It’s a good thing you haven’t had time to unpack yet,” she tells you, looking just a little bit apprehensive. “We’re going to Park City for Sundance.”

You swallow your mouthful of manicotti and ask, “We’re going where for what?”

“Park City.” Mandy waves vaguely in the direction of the door, as if Park City were sitting on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant. “For Sundance. You know, the film festival.”

“Um … I think I’ve heard of it. But why did you sound upset?”

“Okay, I’m happy that we’re going, but not happy about why we’re going. One of the regular stylists, Mackenzie, had a bad fall on the ice in New York and broke her wrist, so they desperately need a new stylist as of tomorrow, and Janina knew I was in Salt Lake City, so she called me.”

“Who’s Janina?”

“Janina Gavankar. She’s an actress. She’s in _Blindspotting_ , which is premiering at Sundance.”

 _“Blindspotting?_ The movie that Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal have been tweeting about for months?”

“Yes, of course. Do you follow them?”

You manage to nod, your mouth half open, but no coherent sounds coming out. Mandy stares at you, and you finally gasp, “You know somebody who knows Daveed Diggs?”

Mandy looks a little concerned. “Yeah. Actually, I know him too.”

You screech. It’s just a small screech, so only a few other diners look your way. “You. Know. Daveed. Diggs? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Y/N, I do hair and make-up for the theater. I know lots of actors. You know that. It never occurred to me to name them all.”

You nod again. “But Daveed, though.”

Mandy sighs. “I take it you’re a fan.”

“You could say that. Or you could say I worship the ground he walks on. Or that he is beyond any doubt the most beautiful human being who has ever lived on Planet Earth. Or …”

“Okay,” Mandy says, holding her hand up. 

“Do you think …” you begin, your voice a little unsteady. “Do you think maybe … I mean, if it’s not too much trouble, maybe your friend … um, Janine could get me his autograph? Not if it would be an imposition or anything.”

“It’s Janina, and no,” Mandy says.

You know your disappointment shows on your face.

“The thing is, Y/N – and please do me a big favor here and don’t scream or pass out, please – it’s the stylist for _Blindspotting_ who broke her wrist. I’m going to be doing the hair and make-up for the cast, including Daveed. You’re coming with me, so you’ll be right in the same room with him and maybe you can ask him for an autograph yourself.”

*          *          *          *          *

Somehow, Mandy had gotten you home from the restaurant, although you really don’t remember how. You went to bed in her guest room, but as far as you know, you didn’t sleep. Now you’re in the kitchen, and Mandy is trying to get you to drink some coffee.

You’re babbling. You know you’re babbling, but you can’t stop. “Oh, my God, I’m going to meet Daveed Diggs. I’m actually going to meet Daveed Diggs. In person. I never got to see him in _Hamilton_ , you know, because it was so far and tickets cost a gazillion dollars, but now I’m going to see him. Not even on stage or something, but like actually in the same room.”

Mandy shoves the coffee mug into you hand and orders, “Breathe. Please just breathe for a few minutes. You’ll be fine.”

You manage to swallow some coffee and take a few deep breaths. “I still can’t believe you know him. What’s he like?”

“He’s nice,” Mandy says. “He’s nothing like he is on stage.”

“When did you see him on stage?” Why has Mandy never told you about her famous acquaintances?

“I’ve been to a couple of Clipping concerts, you know, and there was that thing he and Rafa did in New York last year.”

“You were in New York?”

She sighs. “I travel, Y/N. I like cities. I usually go to New York a couple of times a year. Where do you go on vacation?”

You have to think for a minute. “I went to Denver with Mom and Dad a couple of years ago.”

“If you’re with your parents, it doesn’t count as a vacation.”

“Maybe I should try going somewhere by myself.” You have money in the bank. What’s stopping you? You resolve to plan a real vacation as soon as you get home. You look down at your mug and realize you’ve finished your coffee. “When are we going to see Daveed?”

“This afternoon,” Mandy tells you, “if you can get yourself together so that we can leave.”

That is definitely incentive for you to put the last few items into your suitcase and get dressed. You actually get dressed three times, first putting on your cutest outfit with the blue wrap top, then deciding that you might want to save that for later just in case, so putting on your second-cutest outfit, then rethinking everything because you’re just going to meet him with a crowd of other people around, and if you’re all dressed up, you’ll look silly. You finally decide on your new black jeans with boots and a long, slouchy purple sweater over a matching camisole. You check yourself out in the mirror. Not too dressy, but nice.

“You look fine,” Mandy says from the doorway, and you realize she’s been watching you. She gives you a hug. “You’ll be fine. Everything will be fine. They’re all nice people.”

*          *          *          *          *

It’s only about an hour’s drive to Park City, but you’re staying in a hotel there so that Mandy will be available whenever she is needed. Janina had emailed her an itinerary of what the cast would be doing over the next few days. Tonight would be some sort of meet-and-greet event, so the afternoon would be spent doing whatever styling they needed. In addition to Daveed, Rafael, and Janina, Jasmine Cephas-Jones and Utkarsh Ambudkar were in the film, so Mandy will be responsible for their styling needs as well.

“I’ll have at least one assistant,” Mandy explains in the car, but you’re still focused on what she just said.

“Utkarsh Ambudkar from _Pitch Perfect?_ And, oh, my God, Jasmine Cephas-Jones! She is so beautiful.”

“And I suppose I might as well tell you that if Jasmine is there, Anthony Ramos will be too.”

“Just promise to kick me or something if I start acting like an idiot,” you tell her. “I don’t want to embarrass myself.”

“They’re all just people,” Mandy says. “Jasmine’s a sweetheart, and Anthony is so funny. Really, Daveed’s the quietest one of them all. He’ll probably spend most of the afternoon sitting in the corner shaking his head at whatever Rafa and Anthony are up to.”

The two of you check into the hotel, and then Mandy drags you along with her to a conference room at another hotel where temporary styling stations have been set up. You enter to the noisy confusion of blow dryers, voices, laughter, and background music. Mandy greets friends and acquaintances, introduces you with a casual wave and “My cousin, Y/N,” and looks around for whoever she’s supposed to be meeting here.

“There’s Janina,” she exclaims, pointing out a stunning young woman with long, straight black hair. She waves and catches her friend’s eye, and Janina dashes over and throws her arms around Mandy.

“You’re a lifesaver!” she says as she pulls back. “Honestly, Jazzy and I could probably have managed, but Daveed has this idea that he needs to have a different hairstyle for every appearance while we’re here. He thinks that since his fans tend to obsess about his hair, it might be a way of holding their attention.”

You can definitely confirm that Daveed’s fans obsess about his beautiful mass of curls, but you don’t say anything, and Mandy suddenly remembers to introduce you.

“Hi,” Janina says, giving you a quick friendly kiss on the cheek. “Your cousin is rescuing us from disaster. Actually,” she continues, rolling her eyes, “she’s rescuing us from having to listen to Daveed whine for a week. Oh, and Mandy, I know for tonight he wants the braids like he has in the film, so you should probably get started soon.”

“Lead the way,” Mandy responds, laughing. “I know what I’ll be doing for the next few hours. That boy has a lot of hair.”

“I got Jazzy to stake out a station for us,” Janina says. “It’s all the way back in the corner.”

You follow behind them, the butterflies in your stomach doing loop-the-loops as you think about actually meeting Daveed Diggs in the next few minutes. The crowd thins as you approach the corner, and then you see him, sitting in one of the chairs along the wall, with his long legs stretched out in front of him. He’s wearing his big black-framed glasses, and he has a bright yellow knit Oaklandish hat pulled down over his hair. Rafael is beside him, talking animatedly and waving his arms around, and they’re both laughing. Jasmine is sitting on top of the counter, apparently as a way of preventing some other group from “stealing” it, and Anthony is in the salon chair, spinning around in circles and grabbing at Jasmine’s ankle every time he goes past her.

Janina gives you a smile. “Meet the fam,” she says. “Yo, guys, this is Mandy’s cousin, Y/N. She thought she was going to be on a skiing vacation, but since Mandy agreed to rescue us, she’s stuck here now, so y’all be nice to her.”

They all say hi, but you’re too nervous to look directly at Daveed. Anthony jumps up, though, and says, “Hey, we’re not tied up every minute, so maybe we can make sure you still get some vacation in.”

You thank him, blushing, embarrassed at the attention, and then Mandy tells Daveed to get into the salon chair so she can get started on his hair. She throws his hat to Rafa, telling him to take care of it, and starts working some conditioner into Daveed’s curls. “Rafa, when did you decide to go blond again?” she asks over Daveed’s head.

“Last week,” Rafa tells her. “What do you think?”

Mandy narrows her eyes and stares at him for a minute. “It’s really blond. I would have done highlights.”

“Bitch!” Rafa snaps, and throws Daveed’s hat at her.

Daveed makes a reach and catches the hat. “Yo, Cash,” he says to Rafa, “you do not have permission to use my hat as a weapon. Play nice.”

“Sorry, not sorry,” Rafa mutters, sticking his tongue out.

“Can’t take him anywhere,” Daveed sighs. He holds the hat out to you. “Here, Mandy’s cousin, um, I’m sorry, Y/N, will you take custody of my hat for a while?”

“Sure,” you respond, hoping your voice doesn’t sound as shaky as it feels. “Does it need any special care?”

“Only to keep it out of the hands of that blond mother fucker over there,” Daveed tells you with a conspiratorial smile. “He can’t be trusted.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” you reply, smiling back at him.

“Game on,” Rafael declares.

You look at Rafa doubtfully, not sure how seriously to take him. Anthony and Jasmine have taken seats next to Rafa, and Jasmine shakes her head. “You’re going to have to hold onto that hat,” she says. “Rafael will try to get it back just to prove that he can. He doesn’t always play fair, either.”

“I’m right here,” Rafa tells her, insulted.

“Duh, I know,” Jasmine responds, tossing her long curls. She turns back to you. “I’m just saying, like if you need to use the bathroom or anything, take the hat with you.”

“You know, you’re going to have Y/N thinking I’m a terrible person,” Rafael complains. “What do you think I’m going to do, tackle her and rip it out of her hands?”

“Yeah, that’s a definite possibility,” Anthony says.

“Maybe somebody else should take the hat,” you suggest, a little anxious about being in the middle of what seems to be a familiar game.

“Nope,” Daveed says. “Cash might actually physically attack somebody else to get my hat, but he doesn’t know you well enough to knock you down. You’re the only one who can keep it safe.”

“Fuck you, Diggs,” Rafael says casually, and turns to you. “Listen, Y/N, I want you to know that I do not go around knocking people down. I am totally opposed to violence in any form …” He doesn’t get any further because Janina, Anthony, and Jasmine all interrupt him.

“What about that guy in San Diego?” Janina asks.

“You shoved me off the curb last week,” Anthony declares.

“I saw you deliberately trip Thayne so you could get to the cupcakes first,” Jasmine asserts.

Rafa, never at a loss for words, starts defending himself against each accusation, counting them off on his fingers. You can’t follow his detailed explanations, but you tentatively decide to play along. You smile at Daveed. “Thank you for warning me about him,” you say, speaking as fake-sincerely as you can. “Don’t worry, your hat will be safe with me.”

Daveed smiles back and you can feel your heartbeat quicken.

“Thanks, Diggs,” Rafa snaps sarcastically. “I mean, thanks a lot. Now that you’ve convinced her of how dangerous I am, she’s not going to come anywhere near me for the next five days.”

“My goal exactly,” Daveed says, and winks at you.

Is Daveed Diggs actually flirting with you? You glance at Mandy, who has calmly been braiding Daveed’s hair through the whole conversation. She gives you an encouraging grin. You blush and look down at the bright yellow hat that you’re clutching. The whole thing is really silly, but everybody’s having fun with it. Mandy was right. They’re all nice people.

“Are you coming to the meet-and-greet?” Jasmine asks Mandy.

“I hope so,” Mandy responds, “but we don’t have tickets for anything.”

“Oh, damn,” Jasmine says, “that’s right. Your tickets are in New York with Mackenzie and her broken wrist. Janina, who do we have to talk to?”

Janina thinks for a minute. “Jess, maybe, at least for the _Blindspotting_ stuff. Let me check.” She takes out her phone and sends a text. When she gets a response, she tells Mandy, “Yep, she says she can fix it. She’ll leave your tickets at your hotel front desk for you to pick up.”

“Great,” Mandy says. “Thanks for taking care of it. What else is there besides tonight’s meet-and-greet?”

“Well, there’s the film premier itself tomorrow, so that’s a big deal, and then a sort of cast concert Friday night …”

“What do you mean by a cast concert?” Mandy asks.

“Well, since pretty much all of us sing, we’re just going to do an informal performance. Utkarsh and I are singing ‘Five Hundred Miles,’ and Jazzy and Anthony are going to do ‘Alright’ from his new EP, and then Daveed and Rafa are going to do whatever it is they do …”

“What she means, Y/N,” Daveed says, “is that Rafael and I will debut some original rap compositions from our upcoming album.”

“You have an album coming out?” you ask, not even realizing you’re interrupting.

“Yeah, it was supposed to come out in the fall, but then we had the movie to do …”

“And Diggs had to take that vacation to Tahiti,” Rafa added.

“Okay, and then who just got back from the Cayman Islands?” Daveed asked him.

“ _Anyway,_ ” Janina continues loudly, rolling her eyes, “tomorrow afternoon is pretty full of interviews, and you might be able to sit in on the ones that want an audience. Then there are tickets to a couple more films and brunches, lunches and dinners that various organizations are sponsoring. In between, there’s a lot to do around here. You might even be able to get some skiing in.”

“I’m not so sure I want to do that,” you say. “I’ve never been on skis.”

“Oh, you should definitely give it a try,” Jasmine tells you. “It’s so much fun.”

You smile and sort of shrug, but you still can’t work up any enthusiasm for sliding downhill at high speeds.

As you continue chatting with Janina and Jasmine about the various activities in the area, Rafael gets up restlessly and says, “I’m going to get coffee. Anybody else want some?” He takes orders and heads in the direction of the lobby, but as he walks past you, he makes a grab for Daveed’s hat, which you still have on your lap. Fortunately, you’ve been holding onto it tightly, not because you really thought Rafa was going to try to take it, but just because it belongs to Daveed, and you want to touch anything that he has touched.

You let out a little shriek and without thinking, you smack Rafa’s hand. He yelps in exaggerated pain, and Daveed nearly falls out of the chair laughing. “Serves you right, mother fucker,” he says, while Rafa clutches his “injured” hand dramatically.

You feel yourself turning bright red, and you apologize to Rafael. Immediately, everybody else joins in to tell you to ignore his antics, and he grins at you. “It didn’t hurt, really, but damn, girl, you have a grip on that hat.”

You look him right in the eye and say, “Daveed put me in charge of the hat, and I can’t let him down.”

Daveed starts laughing again and Anthony hoots, “Burned, Cash.”

“Fine,” Rafa says, “you can all get your own fucking coffee.” He stomps off, trying hard to look angry.

“He’ll be back soon,” Jasmine says. “With coffee.”

“And probably muffins,” Janina adds.

They’re right. Twenty minutes later Rafael strolls in with a carrier that holds six cups of coffee in one hand and a bakery bag in the other. “I brought donuts,” he announces. “Y/N gets to pick first because she’s the boss.”

You look at him suspiciously. “You just want me to let go of the hat to get a donut, don’t you?”

“Goddam,” he says, “how come I keep getting outplayed?”

“Maybe ‘cause she’s smarter than you are?” Daveed suggests. “Are you almost done braiding, Mandy? I’m hungry.”

“Maybe another half hour,” Mandy says, “so if you want to take a break, go ahead.”

Rafael is handing out the coffees. “I hope you like cream and sugar,” he says.

“I do,” you tell him, “but maybe you could just put mine down on the counter.” You know he’s looking for another opportunity to grab the hat. He huffs, but does as you ask.

“Come on over here and sit by me, Y/N,” Daveed says. “Rafa won’t try anything where I can reach him because he knows I can kick his ass.”

Holding tight to the hat with one hand, you pick up the coffee in the other and make your way closer to Daveed, pulling one of the chairs up next to him. “What do you do when you’re not being a hat guardian?” he asks with a smile.

“I’m a copywriter for a local TV news station,” you tell him. “Channel seven, WPMN, _News at Five._ ”

“Do you like it?”

“Most of the time. It’s a pretty small station, so some days it’s hard to come up with enough news to fill the half hour. Fortunately, we have high school sports, so that’s our go-to filler.”

“Do you like the writing part?”

You nod. “Yeah, I do. I majored in journalism, but this is as far as I’ve gotten. Not exactly Pulitzer territory.”

He gives you that killer smile. “Never underestimate the power of yet, Y/N.”

“What?”

He waves vaguely at the room, Rafael, his other friends, and takes a sip of his coffee. “You know, before _Hamilton_ , I was barely making ends meet. Rafael was the most famous person I knew, and he wasn’t exactly a household name. We were always broke, working whatever job we could get to support our art habit. Man, you should have seen our apartment.” He laughs. “Hey, Rafa, you remember that apartment you and me and Malcolm had. I mean, you, me, Malcolm, and the dog. She was a pit bull.” He raises his voice and looks over at Jazzy. “A pit bull named Jasmine.”

Jasmine rolls her eyes. “You talking about that damn dog again? You didn’t even know who I was back then.”

“She was a nice dog,” Daveed asserts. “Anyway, we all lived there for a while, eating ramen so we could keep writing – and we just kept writing, even though half the people we knew told us we were nuts, we should get a real job, you know. The thing is, writing was always the real job. We just did other shit so we could eat while we kept writing. It wasn’t that we weren’t successful – it was just that we weren’t successful yet. That’s the power of yet. Don’t say you’re not in the running for a Pulitzer. You’re just not nominated _yet_.”

You smile at him, blushing a little. “That’s a great way to look at it. I’m not an investigative journalist yet, but I plan to be.”

“Right,” he agrees with a smile. He takes a bite of a donut, getting sugar in his beard, and without thinking, you reach out and brush it off. Instantly, you realize what you’ve done, and you’re overcome with embarrassment.

“I’m sorry,” you say. “That was really presumptuous of me.”

He’s still smiling. “Presume all you want. I don’t have a problem with it.”

 _All you want._ If he had any idea … “Okay, then,” you agree, and do it again to remove the last few crumbs.

He takes another bite of the donut and, deliberately, it seems like, scatters more sugar. He’s watching your face, and you’re looking at his beautiful eyes. You lean forward again, this time more stroking his beard than just brushing it, and he moves closer to you. Much closer. “I think there’s still some sugar right here,” he murmurs, touching the corner of his mouth.

Your heart is pounding wildly, but nobody else seems to notice, absorbed in their own conversations and snacks. You brush your fingers along his lips.

You don’t even notice Rafael coming up behind you until he makes a successful grab for the hat and runs off with it, whooping like a ten-year-old. “Damn it!” you say.

Daveed yells, “Fuck you, Cash! Give me my hat.”

“Can somebody just tie him up for a while?” Janina asks with a sigh.

Rafael bats his eyelashes at her. “That might be interesting.”

You look at Daveed. “I am so sorry …”

He just laughs. “It’s Rafa. He doesn’t really want my hat; he just wants to be a pain in the ass.”

Rafa is examining the hat. “It’s pretty ugly,” he says. “Yellow’s not my color.”

“It’s like camouflage for your hair, though,” Mandy tells him helpfully. “I mean, put the hat on, and it’s no different than your hair.”

“Bitch,” he says.

“Isn’t this where we started?” Daveed asks. “You can have the hat, Cash. I brought some other ones with me.”

“That’s it?” Rafael asks, obviously disappointed that the battle is over. “I can just keep the hat?”

“Yeah,” Daveed shrugs. He settles back into the chair. “I guess you better finish the braiding,” he adds to Mandy.

She gets back to work and you stay where you are, close to Daveed. Rafa wanders around looking bored, poking at things until Mandy threatens him with her scissors. “I will cut that blond hair right off if you touch another thing on this table,” she snaps. “Anthony, take this boy out for a walk, please.”

“What am I, a puppy?” Rafa demands.

“Close enough,” Mandy tells him.

“Come on,” Anthony says, resigned, “let’s go look at the mountains or something. Jazz, you’re coming with, right?” He grabs Rafa by the elbow.

“Might as well,” Jasmine agrees. “Maybe we’ll find a place to leave him.”

Rafael huffs, insulted, and then as he walks past you, drops Daveed’s hat in your lap. “I won, though,” he gloats, as Anthony drags him off. You stare after them, open-mouthed.

Janina looks at Daveed. “Honestly, D, how do you have the patience?”

Daveed shrugs, and Mandy tells him to hold still. “Ah, you know, it’s Rafa. I wouldn’t know what to do without him. I think he might be a little ADD.”

Even you laugh at that. “You think?”

“Besides, he’s trying to quit smoking again, so he’s antsy,” Daveed continues.

“How’s that going?” Mandy asks.

“Pretty much like it went the last ten or twenty times – a couple of really positive days, a few more days of being really cranky and miserable, and now we’re into the twitchy stage.”

“What comes next?” you ask.

“A cigarette, probably,” Daveed responds. “At least that’s what’s always happened before.” His smile is a little sad.

“Did you ever smoke?” you ask him.

“Yeah, sure, but I was lucky, I guess, or maybe don’t have the same brain chemistry, who knows? I never got really hooked.”

You think about that for a while. Daveed has nothing but tolerance and compassion for someone else’s struggle. A lot of people you know would have been critical of a friend who couldn’t quit something that everybody knew was bad for him, but Daveed doesn’t make any judgment about Rafael’s character or strength. You like that generosity of spirit.

It doesn’t take much longer for Mandy to finish braiding. Daveed grins at her. “Thanks, it looks good, just like it did for the filming.” He shoots you a sideways glance. “You know you have to take it all out tonight, right?”

“I’m sorry, what?” Mandy asks, clearly surprised.

“Yeah, it’s a thing.” He looks embarrassed.

“A thing?”

“My agent tells me,” he says, even more embarrassed, “that my fans are really interested in my hair. You know, in how I wear it to an event …”

“It’s true,” you agree, and then you’re also embarrassed. “I mean, um … well, I’m a fan, and I … I like to see what style you …you might be wearing.”

Daveed tilts his head and stares at you. “You’re a fan?”

You nod. “I mean, isn’t pretty much everybody?”

He laughs. “Actually, no.”

“She does want your autograph, though,” Mandy says helpfully.

“Mandy! Why?” you whine.

“Well, now that you’ve spent the day being his hat guard and fighting with Rafa, I don’t know if you’re going to ask him, so I thought I’d ask him for you.”

“Thanks so much for that,” you mutter, looking at the floor.

“You want my autograph?” Daveed asks.

You nod. “Yeah, if you wouldn’t mind,” you say in a small voice.

“Okay, I’ll give it to you tonight at the meet and greet. There’s some paper in the hotel room. For now, though …” He picks up a Sharpie from the table and takes your hand. His hands are much bigger than yours and warm, and your heart starts that fast tempo again. He holds your hand tightly and signs _D Diggs_ in big spiky letters across your wrist. He keeps holding your hand after he’s done writing. “Just in case you get lost or something,” he smiles, and in small neat letters above his signature, he writes “ _return to_.” He stands up. “I gotta go, have to make some calls and shit, but I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Yeah, sure, I mean, great …” You’re staring at your hand. He tilts your chin up and he’s smiling at you, then he bends down and gives you a quick kiss, and he’s out the door.

There are still lots of people in the room, but you’re barely aware of them. Daveed Diggs just kissed you. You look around for Mandy, who’s standing right there with a grin on her face.

“Did that just happen?” you ask her.

“Yep, I am a witness. What did he write on your hand?”

You hold your hand up to show her. “Oh, my,” she comments, impressed.

“Do you … um … do you have to do anymore styling stuff now?”

“Not now. I’ll have to unbraid Daveed’s hair after the meet and greet, but Jasmine and Janina said they’re fine doing their own hair for today.”

“What about tomorrow?”

She thinks about it, and counts off on her fingers. “Casual brunch tomorrow morning, no big deal, film premier at one-thirty, everybody has to look nice, and then at least three interviews after that. The interviews are all pretty short, like fifteen minutes to half an hour max, but the guys usually want to change their shirts or something so they don’t look exactly the same in all of them. Daveed’s going to have to have the same hair style for all of them though, because there’s only about fifteen minutes between the tapings. Then tomorrow night is the post-premier red carpet thing, so Daveed will for sure want something dramatic for that. I really like Rafa’s hair longer, the way he had it last year, but at least he won’t need me to help him. Anthony and Jazzy are both in another film opening here, so if we get short of time, there’s another stylist they can use. Janina will want a nice updo for tomorrow night, but she’s easy to work with, so we should be okay.”

“Wow, that sounds like a lot, though.”

Mandy shrugged. “I’m used to it, and anyway, nobody in this group is a pain.”

“Not even Rafael?” you ask her with a smile.

“Oh, Rafael,” Mandy says, shaking her head. “He’s crazy, but how can you not love him?”

You look at your cousin suspiciously. “Mandy?”

She blushes and waves her hand. “Oh, not really, no, I mean … it’s no big deal. He’s between girlfriends maybe, but I think … anyway … I don’t know.”

“You realize there wasn’t a complete sentence in anything you just said, right?”

She laughs. “Shut up.”

“Okay, but if I were you, I’d steal his hat. You never know where that might lead.”

She laughs again, and you wonder about her feelings for Rafa, but you don’t ask any more questions. Back at the hotel, you pick out a cute outfit for the meet and greet, a royal-blue flare skirt and a silky ivory top with rhinestone buttons. You get Mandy to help with your hair. It’s almost as curly as Daveed’s, and most of the time you clip it back, but you decide to show off your curls tonight, and you do your make-up carefully. As you’re putting on your lipstick, you see the reflection of your hand in the mirror with the message “return to Daveed Diggs” in black Sharpie. It gives you a funny feeling of butterflies in your stomach, fluttery, but not unpleasant.

The meet and greet is from six until nine, and it’s exactly what it sounds like. There are important people there from Hollywood studios, from production companies, and from every other area that’s involved with the film business. There’s really not much for you to do except hang out with Mandy, since Daveed, Rafael, and the others are involved in one conversation after another. At some point, Janina introduces you and Mandy to Utkarsh, who’s an actor, singer and rapper like Daveed and Rafael, and Carlos, the director of _Blindspotting_ , who looks like he’s about sixteen. Daveed gets a few minutes to come over and say hello. He takes your hand, checks that you didn’t scrub the writing off, and smiles. Then he kisses the inside of your wrist very gently and hurries back to meet somebody else on the other side of the room.

“What are we doing after this?” you ask Mandy as soon as your breathing returns to normal.

“I have to unbraid Daveed’s hair, which is tedious. Maybe you can help, though.”

“Really?” How many times have you wished you could get your fingers in those curls?

“Probably. You just have to be careful because curly hair is fragile – but you know that already.”

You do, and you always take good care of your own curly hair, so maybe you can help with Daveed’s.

“He’s just wearing it loose for the brunch and the premier, he said, but then he wants to do something different for the interviews.”

“Like what?”

“He was still thinking about it. He’ll probably come up with something creative, but I’ve got a few ideas if he doesn’t.”

The _Blindspotting_ cast members are all in the same hotel, so you and Mandy join them after the meet and greet. Janina calls room service and has some sandwich trays sent up to her room, where everybody’s hanging out. Jasmine and Anthony are in the next room next to hers, and the adjoining door is open. Daveed’s is across the hall, but for now he’s sitting patiently in a chair eating a turkey and lettuce sandwich while Mandy is unbraiding his hair. You drag another chair over and sit near him.

“Is it okay with you if Y/N helps me with your hair?” Mandy asks him.

He gives you a big smile. “Definitely okay,” he says.

You’ve braided and unbraided your own hair countless times, so it’s not difficult; you just have to be patient to keep it from tangling. With two of you working on it, it doesn’t take too long, and you enjoy touching Daveed’s beautiful hair. When all the braids are out, Mandy applies some conditioner and coaxes his hair into his usual riotous curls. He looks amazing.

“I like your hair like this better than the braids,” you tell him.

“Me too,” he responds. “The braids were a thing in the film, so I wanted to wear them for the meet and greet, but I’m kind of done with them now.”

“So what style for tomorrow?” Mandy asks.

“This is fine for the brunch and the premier,” Daveed tells her, “but I’ll need something different for the interviews. I’m still thinking.”

“Okay, you know where to find me.” Mandy goes off to talk to Janina.

You look around. “Where’s Rafael?” you ask.

Daveed shrugs. “He got talking to somebody at the meet and greet, and they were going to go get a drink. He’ll turn up. Brunch is at nine, so he better be back by then.”

You feel bad for Mandy, but of course you don’t say anything. “Are you guys sharing a room?” you ask, as off-handedly as you can manage.

“Oh, hell, no,” Daveed says. “I’ve lived with Rafa off and on for the last ten years or so, but now that we can afford it, we do better with our own space.” He grins. “Rafa can get a little hyper, you know what I mean? Used to keep me up all night talking.”

You laugh. “Yeah, I can see where he might make it hard to get a good night’s sleep.”

As if on cue, Rafael bounces in the door and yells, “Is there any food left?”

Janina points to the sandwich tray and he starts poking around in it, trying to find one he likes.

“I guess the date didn’t work out,” you say to Daveed.

“Oh, it wasn’t a date,” he responds. “He was talking to a publicist about marketing the film.”

You’re glad to know Mandy may still have a chance.

Rafa, sandwich in hand, comes over to talk to Daveed. “So he says we’ll need at least three different trailers,” he announces through a mouthful of corned beef on rye, “and they should be out by June first if …”

Daveed holds up his hand. “Did you tell him to talk to Keith and Jessica?” he asks. “You know they need to make those decisions.”

Rafael swallows and nods. “That’s exactly what I told him, but now I’m telling you because I thought you might be interested.” He narrows his eyes for a few seconds. “You don’t seem very excited.”

“I promise I’ll be excited when we start working on the trailers. I can’t sustain excitement as long as you can.”

Rafa sighs. “That’s why I’m more fun than you are.” He looks around the room for confirmation. “Right? I’m more fun than Diggs, right?”

“You’re more exhausting than Diggs,” Jasmine tells him. She takes Anthony’s hand and pulls him off the couch. “Come on, babe, we’ve got to get some sleep. Brunch is at nine.”

Anthony doesn’t protest, and they go into their room and close the door. You hear the lock click.

Rafa raises an eyebrow. “Sleep, huh?”

“Please shut up,” Janina tells him. “And I hate to be mean, but I’m throwing you guys out so I can get to sleep myself. We’ve all got to look cute for the cameras tomorrow.”

“How are you getting back to your hotel?” Daveed asks Mandy.

“Uber, I guess. I should call.”

She gets out her phone, but Rafael says, “Don’t call yet. Let’s go downstairs and get a drink.”

Mandy looks at you.

“Sure,” you say, “why not?”

Rafa is guiding you all out the door of Janina’s room, but Daveed stops and leans against the wall. “I really don’t want a drink,” he says. You do your best not to look disappointed, but then he continues, “Why don’t you two go, and maybe Y/N will stay here and keep me company for a while.” He looks at you questioningly.

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” you agree, “I’m … uh … I’m not much of a drinker.”

Rafael cracks up and grabs Mandy’s hand. Mandy smiles and calls back over her shoulder, “I’ll text you when I’m calling the Uber.”

Daveed puts his arm around your waist and uses his other hand to key his door. He pulls you in and kicks the door shut, then bends down to kiss you. It’s not a light, feathery kiss like the last one. This time, he kisses you slowly and deeply, sliding his tongue between your lips. Your heart is hammering. He finally pulls back, takes your hand, and leads you to the couch on the far side of the room. You sit down with him, and he kisses you again, taking his time. Then his lips move down your jawline and to your throat, while his hand slides into your hair, playing with your curls. “I like your hair,” he says.

“Is that because it’s like yours?” you ask him.

He laughs against your collarbone. “Probably.” He pulls back a little and looks at your shirt speculatively. “Does this come off over your head, or do all those buttons have to be unbuttoned?”

“Those are functional buttons, so, yes, they all have to be unbuttoned one at a time.”

He starts with the top one and has a little difficulty, since the fabric is slippery and the buttons are small. “Fuck,” he mutters. “Is this like the twenty-first century version of the chastity belt?”

He’s making you giggle, which may not be very romantic, but you can’t help it. He gets the second button undone and kisses the place that is now exposed. His beard is soft and warm against your skin. The third button is a little easier, and by the fifth, he’s figured it out. He helps you out of your shirt and then stands up and takes your hand to lead you to the bed.  You kick your heels off on the way and lie down, still wearing your skirt and pantyhose. Daveed throws his shirt on the floor and stretches out next to you, turning on his side, his head propped up on his elbow. He traces the edge of your bra with one finger, and you shiver. “How many buttons does your skirt have?” he asks, smiling.

“Only one,” you respond, “and a zipper. I’ll show you.” It’s easy to unfasten your skirt and remove it.

Daveed hooks one finger inside the waist of your pantyhose and pulls them down to your knees in one fast movement. Another yank, and they’re off. He moves his hand softly over your hip and murmurs, “Look how pretty you are.” He gets rid of his jeans easily, and you’re both in just your underwear. He’s every bit as gorgeous as you’d imagined, and your heart feels like it’s about to beat out of your chest. He slides his hand between your legs, and you know he can feel that your panties are already wet. He gets up on his knees over you and bends down to tease your nipples through the thin fabric of your bra. You arch up to him and he reaches behind you to unhook it and then pulls it off. He takes his time playing with your breasts, licking and sucking as his hand slips into your underpants. You gasp as his finger finds the sensitive spot, and he begins to circle it gently. He doesn’t stop as he comes back to kiss you, his tongue exploring your mouth as his finger keeps moving. You push yourself toward him, and he gives a satisfied hum and removes your underpants, then reaches over you to the bedside table. You start to ask what he’s doing, but then you understand as he takes off his boxers and rolls the condom on.

You’re ready for him, but he waits a little longer, wanting to push you closer to the edge. When he finally enters you, he takes it slowly, holding your hips in place so that you can feel every bit of the pressure. You’re panting more than breathing now, and as he moves, you roll your hips up toward him so he can push in deeper. He leans down to nuzzle your neck, rubbing his beard against your skin. He continues down to your breasts and you tangle your fingers in his hair, holding him against you. He takes your nipple in his mouth, sucking it, his beard brushing against your sensitive skin, as he continues to move inside you. A shimmering wave starts to spread through you, almost like electricity, and then everything else is swept out of your consciousness. Daveed pushes into you hard as you wrap your legs around his waist, and then you’re both gasping, tangled together. You realize your fingers are still in his hair, and you smile, playing with it gently as your breathing returns to normal. He kisses your mouth and your eyelids before he gets up to dispose of the condom. As he comes back to bed, his phone sounds and he fumbles around getting it out of his jeans pocket on the floor. He looks at the screen and laughs.

“Text from Rafa,” he says, and shows it to you. _Mandy says to tell Y/N she’ll call the Uber in the morning._

“That works out well,” you murmur as he wraps his arms around you. You snuggle close to him, and he strokes your hair.

“How are you going to wear your hair tomorrow?” he asks, winding a curl around his finger.

“Mm, I don’t know,” you respond sleepily. “I thought maybe pigtails.”

“Yeah, that’s good,” he tells you. “Me too.”

That wakes you up a little. “You too? You’re going to wear pigtails for TV interviews?”

“Mm-hm. Everybody will see that we match. It’ll be cute.”

Everybody will see that you match. You like the sound of that.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


End file.
